Road-cart



(No Model.) 2 SheetsSh eet 1.

W. B. GETTY.

ROAD CART. No. 349,882. Patented Sept. 28, 1886.

N. PLYERS P mm-Lnlm hur. Wndwlghm. n c

2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

W. B. GETTY.

ROAD CART.

No. 349,882. Patented Sept. 28, 1886.

l Qlii'mz ooeo shown.

UNITED STATES PATENT EEIcE.

ROAD-CART.

SPECIFICATION forming par. of Letters Patent No. 349,882, datedSeptember 28, 1886. Application filed August 4, 1886. Serial No.210,034. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, XVILLIAM B. GETTY, a citizen of theUnited States,residing at Hicksville, in the county of Defiance and State of Ohio,have invented a new and useful Improvement in Road-Carts, of which thefollowing is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in road-carts; and it consists ofthe peculiar combination and novel construction and arrangement of thevarious parts for service, substantially as hereinafter fully set forth,and particularly pointed out in the claims.

The object of my invention is to provide a road-cart with an improvedseat-frame which shall be so suspended and arranged that theobjectionable motion given to the thills or shafts by the draft-animalin this class of vehicles, and which is known as the horse motion, shallbe effectually overcome,whereby a comfortable and easy motion will begiven to the occupant of the vehicle.

A further object of my invention is to provide an improved scat-frameand suspending devices therefor, which shall be very simple and strongin construction, not liable to get out of order or disarranged, andcheap and inexpensive of manufacture.

In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate a road-cart embodying myinvention, Figure lis a side elevation with the carryingwheels removed.Fig. 2 is a top plan view corresponding to Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a rearelevation. Fig. 4 is a detached perspective view of the seat-frame, andFig. 5 is a like view of the rear spring and the suspending devices forthe seat-frame. Fig. 6 is a longitudinal vertical sectional view on theline 90 x of Fig. 2.

Referring to the drawings, in which like letters of reference denotecorresponding parts in all the figures, A designates the axle of myimproved road-cart, which is preferably bent upwardly at its middle sothat the middle portion thereof is out of line with the ends, and B theshafts or thills,which extend rearwardly to the axle, and are rigidlyconnected thereto by means of the clips b,which embrace the axle and therear ends of the thills, as clearly The thills are curved downwardly attheir rear ends, as at b, and the thills are thus elevated at theirfront ends into a higher position than at their rear ends,so thatthelower portion of the seat-suspending frame 0 is located beneath theplane of the front or higher ends of the thills,which are connected andbraced by a cross-bar, B, to which is pivotally connected thesingle-tree 13*, as is usual in this class of devices.

The seat carrying or suspending frame 0 preferably consists of the siderails or bars, 0, which areinclined or arranged diagonally with relationto each other and bent upwardly at their front ends in curved lines, asat c, the upright or vertical standards 0 and the transverse rails orbars 0 which connect the side rails, O, at or near the rear endsthereof, so as to provide a platform or support for the feet of thedriver or occupant of the vehicle. These rails or bars 0, that form thesupport or platform for the feet, are secured to the side rails, O, inany suitable or preferred manner for strength and stability, and thefront or foremost of the said rails is curved longitudinally, so as toassume substantially the form ofa bow or segment, the ends thereof beingrigidly affixed to the seat carrying or supporting frame, as described,while at its middle the said segmental bar or rail is provided with aslot or mortise, c, in which the rail or bar immediately in rear thereofis fitted to strengthen the platform or support. This platform orsupport is provided with two stirrups or stops, D, which are each bentfrom a single piece of metal to form an open loop, and is affixed to thesegmental-shaped rail or bar of the platform and the side rails, 0, oneof the loopshaped stirrups being arranged on each side of the platformor support of the seat-carrying frame 0.

- The vertically-disposed standards 0 of the seat-carrying frame 0 arearranged at the rear ends of the latter and in a slightly-inclinedposition, the said standards being preferably formed in a singlepiecewith the side rails, G, of the frame 0, and at its upper end eachof the standards is provided with a horizontal arm or bar, 6, whichextends or projects rearwardly from the standard, and to which the seatE is rigidly affixed in any suitable or preferred manner, the seat beingof any approved pattern. The said rails G of the seatcarrying frame andthe vertical standards or ICO uprights thereof are braced andstrengthened by means of diagonal rods or bars F, the rear ends of whichare rigidly affixed to the standards, and the front ends thereof arelikewise secured to the bent or curved ends 0 of the said rails, thesaid front ends of the rods or bars being bent or inclined upwardly toform 1 the angular arms f, which are provided at their free ends withspaced lugs f, which are dis posed in vertical lines at the extreme freeends of the side rails, O, of the seat carrying or supporting frame, thefunction ,of these spaced standards, and to the free ends of theextendedi arms 9 of the brace-irons are pivotally con-.

nected the lower ends of vertically-disposed links or shackles H bymeans of a suitable pivot pin or bolt. The upper ends of these shacklesor links are pivotally connected to:

the free ends of a spring-support,I, which is disposed in a verticalposition immediately beneath the seat, and thereby partially protectedand concealed from view. The ends of this support I are curved or bentupwardly f and then downwardly, so as to assume the,

shape of hooks, to the free ends of which the shackles are pivotallyconnected, ashereinbefore described; but this shape or form of the endsof the support can be varied without departing from the principle ofmyinvention.

The support I is rigidly affixedinany suitable manner, and at its middleto a block, J which in turn is securedto a spring, K, which is arrangedtransversely across the vehicle and ex-.

tends from one shaft to the other thereof. This spring K is arranged inclose proximity to the axle, and it lies on a plane beneath the axle,said spring being arranged in front of theaxle; and in rear of the seatcarrying or supporting frame 0. The ends of this spring K are bent orcurved over upon themselves, as at k, and;

the free bent ends of the spring are pivotally connected to the thillsat the rear ends thereof by means of a pin or bolt which passes: throughaligned openings in vertical lugs at. the rear of the thills, althoughthis form of;

pivot-connection of the spring with the thills can be varied. Thisspring K serves as the;

support for the rear end of the seat and its carrying-frame, and thefront end of thesaid;

frame is suspendedbeneath the thills and out of contact therewith bymeans of curved springs. L, which are rigidily secured to the thills at:one end,and pivotally connected at their other; ends with the verticallugs f at'the front, of the side rails,0, of the said seat'frame. The

springs L are each formed of a single piece of; elastic or resilientmetal, and they are ar-'.

partially. The seat-carrying frame 0 is thus suspended beneath the axleand the thills and entirely out of contact with the said parts byresilient and yielding supporting devices; whereby the objectionablejogging motion that is imparted to the thills and the axle, and which isknown to the art by the name of horsemotionj is entirely overcome, theseat being given an easy and agreeable motion, which is much soughtafter in this class of devices. The seat-carrying frame is sus-' pendedbeneath the thills, so that the seat, which occupies an elevatedposition on the frame, is substantially on the same line or plane as thefront elevated portion of the thills, whichtis sufficient to permit thedriver to see his wayin driving'and guiding the anil- V a The rearcurvedends of the thills are braced and strengthened by means of rods or barsM,

which are rigidly affixed at their front ends to the elevated or higherportions of the thills, and the rear ends are securedto the lowerportion of the thills at or near the pointof connection of the thillswith the axle.

N designates a hanger,which depends from the axle at one side thereof,and to the lower ends of the hanger is secured a step, a, by means ofwhich the occupant of the vehicle can very readily alight or enter thevehicle.

The seat-carrying frame is very light, simple, and strong inconstruction, and the con- Slight changes in the form and proportion ofparts can be made without departing from the spirit or sacrificingtheadvantagesof my invention.

Having thus fully described my invention,

Letters Patent, is I 1. In a road-cart, the combination of an axle,thethills connected to the axle, asuspended frame arranged between thethills and axle and beneath the plane thereof and carrying an elevatedseat, the front springs affixed to the thills andpivotally connected tothe front part of the suspended frame, a transverse rear spring arrangedin front of the axle and connected at its ends with the rear ends of thethills,-a spring-support secured to the middleof the spring, andthevertical shackles pivotally connected to the suspended frame and thefree ends of the spring-supportysubforth.

2. In aroad-cart, the combination of an axle, the thills connected tothe axle, a sus what I claim as new, and desire to secure by it 13cstantially as described, for the purposeset pended frame arrangedbetween the thills and axle and beneath the plane thereof and carryingan elevated seat, the curved front springs affixed rigidly to the thillsat one end and pivotally connected to the front end of the suspendedframe, a transverse spring arranged in front of the axle and having itsextremities bent around the rear ends of the thills and pivotallyconnected thereto, a spring-support secured to the middle of thetransverse spring, and the vertically-disposed shackles pivotallyconnected to the suspended frame and the free ends of thespring-support, substantially as described, for the purpose set forth.

3. The combination, in a road-cart, of the thills, an axle, a framecarrying a seat, the front springs connecting the frame with the thills,the rear transverse spring, the block secured to the transverse springat its middle, the spring-support affixed to the block and having thecurved ends, the brace-irons affixed to the seat-frame, and the pivotedvertical shackles intermediate of the free ends of the spring-supportand the brace-irons, substantially as described.

4. In a road-cart, the combination of an axle, the thills connected withthe axle, a

' frame carrying a seat and comprising the side rails, the platform-barsconnecting the side which one edge of one of the transverse bars isfitted, and the vertically-disposed standards affixed to the rear endsof the side bars and carrying a seat at their upper ends, and the frontand rear springs arranged, as described, for suspending the frame fromthe aXle and thills and out of contact therewith, substantially asdescribed, for the purpose set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixedmy signature in presence of two witnesses.

\VILLIAM B. GETTY.

Witnesses:

F. M. THOMPSON, FRANK L. FORLOW.

